winch question

[tallon64]

I recently purchased a 2005 ranger 4x4 and would like to know the best winch rating to use with it? I don't 4 wheel this is going to be and emergency use device mainly, it may also be used to assist in pulling logs for wood stove. I have looked at winches from 7500 lbs, to 9000 lbs and was just curious which would work better. I have been told the more weight it is rated at, the better. Just want to know as always money is an issue so I am looking for the most bang for the buck, and the most reliable, and yes 2005 seems to be a change year very hard to find things for it.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I carry a 2500lb winch in a bag. I think I paid $120 for it. I've used it for hauling a couple vehicles up onto my car trailer, it struggled a bit but did it. If your pulling something with a flat you would have to double the line. It would haul logs no problem.

Sent from my XT1032 using Tapatalk

 

[Doofy]

I like receiver mount winches because they can be removed easily. Also, adding a front receiver mount is a must.

 

[Jim Oaks]

I've had Warn, Milemarker, and Smittybilt. I had a friend who had one of the Harbor Freight winches and he beat the crap out of it. I remember when snagging a winch for $500 was an amazing deal. Now you can easily find a 8,000 - 9,000 pound winch for $300.00. For that price, there's no reason to not buy a winch big enough to do the job for your vehicle.

I would suggest:

XRC-9.5K Waterproof Winch Gen2 $299.99

Harbor Freight - Badland 9000lb Winch $299.99 (You can also find it on Amazon HERE for $277.45)

Trail Master Nomad 8.5K Electric Winch TM8500 $249.99

The Trail Master line of winches is new. They use to just do suspensions. They list there address as the same address as 4Wheelparts. My guess is that they bought the Trail Master line, and added some cheaper winches and LED products. I'm just throwing it out there because of the price.

 

[Hagan]

I would get something bigger than you need.

I have a Smittybilt XRC8 winch and it works great. I plan on getting the 9.5k version and putting the old one on my car trailer. I just need to order it.

 

[RonD]

Also one FYI about winches, the rated pulling weight is for empty spool and first layer of cable being wound onto the spool.
Depending on the size of the cable the second layer will have 15-20% less pulling power because the spool diameter is now larger and ratio has changed.
You then lose about 10% per layer after the second.
Some manufacturers list empty and full spool pulling weight, but if there is just one weight it will be empty spool.
And this is a good reason to use a shorter cable on the winch and carry an extra cable.

General rule of thumb for minimum vehicle winch is 2 times curb weight or 1.5 times GVWR, which ever is higher, GVWR is listed on drivers door label
More is better, as said above

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I'll ad that I now have a 10,000lb winch permanently mounted on the front of my car trailer and have an 8000lb winch with a receiver mount for front or back mount when wheeling. If you're not going offroad a big winch isn't needed. With the information given by the OP my recommendation of a winch in a bag stands.